If you’re like most people, you love the look of marigolds in your garden or flower pot. Not only are they cheerful and bright, but they’re also easy to care for. In this article, we’ll tell you how often to water marigolds and how much water they need, depending on their location to get the most flowers from your plant. Keep reading to learn how much water these plants need!
*This post may include affiliate links. When you purchase items from these links, we will receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, to help support this website. Thank you for your support! Read more ->
(Keep in mind that there are different types of marigolds, and their needs might differ. But the ones mainly discussed in this article are the French marigolds, since they are the most common type to grow.)
How Much Water Do Marigolds Need?
It depends! Just like other plants, it depends on where they’re planted, season, how hot it gets, in a pot or planted in soil, near other plants or not.
But in general, marigolds are okay to be underwatered than overwatered, so plan on only watering them about once a week in the summer! The best way to know if your marigolds need to be watered is to feel the soil. If it’s dry, it’s time to water. If it’s still damp, give it another few days before watering.
You may be interested in: Benefits of Marigolds in your Garden
Do Marigolds Like Wet Soil?
No, marigolds do not like their soil to be constantly wet. In fact, if the soil is too soggy, roots can start to rot and cause the plant to die. If you’re unsure about how much water your marigold needs, feel the top inch of soil with your finger. If it’s dry, that’s a sign that it’s time to water your plant.
If it feels damp still, skip it this time around with watering!
Do Marigolds Prefer Dry Soil?
Yes, marigolds prefer dry soil. In fact, they tend to bloom the best when their soil is dried out a bit in between waterings. That being said, if it gets too dry and the leaves start to yellow or wilt, that’s a sign that you should give your plant a drink!
Marigold Watering:
So with those in mind of marigolds preferring dry soil to wet soil, what’s the best way to keep your marigold happy with watering?
First of all, if you’re growing your marigolds in pots or containers, water them about once a week, checking the soil before to make sure it’s not too wet already. Water evenly until the soil is moist but not soggy.
If you have marigolds planted in the ground, water them about every 2 weeks, but this also depends on how hot it is and where they are planted.
That being said, keep in mind that marigolds aren’t the same as other flowers and might need a bit more or less water depending on how hot it is, and be sure to look out for signs of overwatering and underwatering your marigolds.
Overwatering
Overwatering is probably the more common issue with marigold watering compared to underwatering, because marigolds really don’t need that much water. One way to tell if you’ve got an overwatered marigold is if the flowers that were about to bloom just droop down and don’t bloom. The plant may mainly turn brown as well.
Give it a few days/weeks of no watering, and prune off any of the brown parts of the plant to give it a fighting chance to come back to life.
Underwatering
If you’ve got an underwatered marigold, you’ll start seeing the plant yellowing or wilting. If you see those signs, make sure to water your plants to get them back to healthy!
Companion Planting With Marigolds
Another great trick with marigolds and knowing how often to water marigolds is to plant them next to another plant that has the same watering needs. This works especially well if they are all in the ground, because then you can water both at once and not have to worry about watering the plants separately!
Strawberries are a great choice of a companion plant for marigolds.
Getting The Most Flowers on Your Marigolds Through Proper Watering
One of the biggest reasons to know how much water do marigolds need and water properly is to have the most flowers on your marigolds! Too much water and the flowers will droop off before they can bloom, and not enough water and any flowers that do bloom will barely last a day.
So if you water your marigolds regularly when they are dry, but not too dried out, and deadhead the old flowers, you’ll get a bunch of fresh flowers on your marigolds all season long!
In Summary
Marigolds need to be watered regularly, but not too much or the roots will rot. If you’re unsure about how much water your marigold needs, feel the top inch of soil with your finger. If it’s dry, then it’s a sign that it’s time to give your plant some water.
If you’re growing your marigolds in pots or containers, water them about once a week. If they are planted in the ground, water them every couple of weeks depending on how hot it is and where they are planted.
Be sure to also look out for signs of overwatering or underwatering your marigolds (yellowing/wilting leaves, drooping flowers). Planting them next to companion plants with similar watering needs is also a great way to make sure your marigolds get the right amount of water.
By following these tips and tricks on marigold watering, your marigolds will be blooming all season long!
